United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1975
Energy Industry Deconcentration Act - Prohibits any corporation or association from: (1) controlling deposits of more than one type of energy-producing mineral, after December 31, 1979 and (2) engaging engaging in more than one aspect of the petroleum and natural gas industry after December 31, 1979. Requires corporations or associations which would be in violation of this Act except for the effective date to submit plans for compliance to the Federal Trade Commission before January 1, 1978. Prohibits any individual from serving as a director of more than one company engaged in every resource production, refining, transportation, or marketing.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1975
Taxpayer Audit Disclosure Act - Requires the establishment of formal procedures and criteria for the selection of individual income tax returns for audit. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury or his delegate to provide any individual selected for auditing with a written notice which clearly specifies the reasons for and manner in which the return of such individual was selected for audit. Provides that the Secretary or his delegate shall furnish to such individual a written explanation which describes the audit procedure, the rights which a taxpayer may exercise during such procedure, the right of the taxpayer to make an administrative or judicial appeal from an adverse decision at the end of such procedure, and the right of the taxpayer to claim a refund. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury or his delegate to submit to the Joint Committee on Internal Revenue Taxation before September 30 of each year a report setting forth: (1) the number of individuals whose returns were selected for audit during the previous 12-month period; (2) a classification of individuals whose returns were audited during the previous 12-month period by, among other factors, income levels, geographic distribution, and profession; (3) the number of individuals audited during the previous 12-month period who were found to have made underpayments or overpayments of tax, together with summary statistics reflecting the percentage of such number, by income category, who made underpayments or overpayments of certain ranges of amounts (to be determined by the Secretary or his delegate); and (4) such other information as may be requested by the joint committee in accordance with the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1975
Provides that time spent by American civilians in enemy prisoner-of-war camps and similar places on or after December 7, 1941, shall be creditable (as though it were military service) toward pensions, annuities, or similar benefits under the Social Security Act, the Railroad Act and other specified Federal retirement programs.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1975
Provides, under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, that no rescission of budget authority proposed by the President shall take effect unless and until the Congress has passed a bill incorporating such rescission.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1975
Provides hospital insurance coverage, for a one year period, under Title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for unemployed workers and their families. Requires as a condition of eligibility that unemployed individuals establish entitlement to weekly benefits under a State or Federal unemployment compensation law. Authorizes appropriations to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund of an amount sufficient to place such Trust Fund in the same position at the end of one fiscal year as the position it would have been in if the provisions of this Act had not been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1975
Establishes a grant program to enable any State, local government, or interstate agency or other public port authority to apply to the Secretary of Commerce for financial assistance to assist such agency in making such improvements as may be required to any port operated by it in order to bring such port into compliance with any requirements relating to environmental protection, the public health and safety, or port or cargo security which may be imposed by Federal law. Defines the term "improvements". States that the Secretary may grant to the applicant all or part of the money applied for, except that no grant or aggregate of grants made under this Act to any State, local, or interstate agency or public port authority may exceed $1,000,000. Authorizes appropriations of $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1975 and each fiscal year thereafter for grants under this Act. Directs the Secretary to undertake a comprehensive study to determine the immediate and long- range requirements of public ports in the United States: (1) for expansion and modernization in order to meet adequately the economic and defense needs of the United States; and (2) to meet such standards as may be imposed by law for purposes of environmental protection and port safety and security. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress the final results of such study not later than one year after the effective date of this Act. Authorizes appropriations of $1,000,000 for fiscal year 1975 and $1,000,000 for fiscal year 1976 for purposes of conducting the study.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1975
Provides that the beneficiary of an insured individual who dies shall, if otherwise qualified under title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, be entitled to a prorated benefit for the month of death of the insured.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1975
Establishes a national adoption information exchange system in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare to aid in the placement of children for adoption. Authorizes $1,000,000 to be appropriated for fiscal year 1975 and such sums as may be necessary for succeeding fiscal years, to carry out the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1975
Revises the Internal Revenue Code to allow as a deduction: (1) the home improvement expenses (up to a maximum of $500) paid by a taxpayer; and (2) the residential addition amortization (the aggregate of which may not exceed $5,000).
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1975
Revises the Internal Revenue Code to allow as a credit against the income tax the expenses of elementary or secondary education paid by an individual during the taxable year to any private nonprofit elementary or secondary school for a dependent. Limits such credit to the lesser of 100 percent of the expenses or $300. Reduces such credit by an amount equal to 1 percent of the amount by which the adjusted gross income of the taxpayer exceeds $22,500.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1975
Revises the Internal Revenue Code to allow as a credit against the income tax amounts paid by an individual during the taxable year for the expenses of higher education for himself or any other individual. Limits such credit to 100 percent of the first $200 of such educational expenses, 25 percent of the next $300, and 5 percent of the next $1000 of such expenses. Reduces such credit by 1 percent of the amount by which the adjusted gross income of the taxpayer exceeds $22,500. Reduces the amount of educational expenses otherwise recognized by this Act by the amounts received as scholarships, fellowships, and veterans benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1975
National Home Health Care Act - Broadens the coverage of home health services under the supplementary medical insurance (Medicare) program of of the Social Security Act and removes the 100-visit limitation presently applicable to the home health service program. Extends the coverage of posthospital home health services to include payment for items and services which the indiviudal could otherwise obtain in a skilled nursing facility. Requires the inclusion of home health services in a State's medicaid program under the Social Security Act and permits the payment of rent under such program for elderly persons who would otherwise require nursing home care. Provides expanded Federal funding for congregate housing for the displaced and the elderly by increasing the amount available for such housing under the low income housing program. Establishes, in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, a home health patient ombudsman, who shall be appointed and provided with adequate staff and facilities by the Secretary. Makes it the duty and responsibility of the ombudsman to monitor specified programs under the Social Security and the various medical assistance programs under the State plans approved pursuant to such Act, and to maintain such oversight of those programs and their operation and administration as may be necessary to: (1) assure that home health patients under such programs are receiving the care to which they are entitled, (2) provide safeguards against over-charging for home health services, (3) identify abuses against home health patients, (4) receive, handle, and expedite complaints by home health patients, (5) recommend to the Secretary any changes in the regulations affecting home health services which may appear necessary or desirable, and (6) take appropriate action (including the transmission of findings to the Attorney General) with respect to abuses and violations of law affecting the provision or receipt of home health services under such programs. Makes the children over 18 of parents receiving nursing and home health care assistance under the medicaid program liable for a specified portion of the expenses of such assistance, depending upon the income of such child. Permits the waiver of such obligation in any case where the State agency determines, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary, that the imposition of such obligation or the making of such collection would impose undue hardship. Provides that any amount collected from or otherwise paid by any person in satisfaction of any obligation imposed by this section shall constitute a medical expense paid or incurred by such person for purposes of deductions under the Internal Revenue Code ot 1954.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1975
Entitles specified veterans of the Mexican border period and of World War I and their widows and children to a veterans' pension benefit on the same basis as that accorded to veterans of the Spanish American War and their widows and children, respectively. Provides for an increase in pension rates applicable to such classes of veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1975
National Home Health Care Act - Broadens the coverage of home health services under the supplementary medical insurance (Medicare) program of of the Social Security Act and removes the 100-visit limitation presently applicable to the home health service program. Extends the coverage of posthospital home health services to include payment for items and services which the indiviudal could otherwise obtain in a skilled nursing facility. Requires the inclusion of home health services in a State's medicaid program under the Social Security Act and permits the payment of rent under such program for elderly persons who would otherwise require nursing home care. Provides expanded Federal funding for congregate housing for the displaced and the elderly by increasing the amount available for such housing under the low income housing program. Establishes, in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, a home health patient ombudsman, who shall be appointed and provided with adequate staff and facilities by the Secretary. Makes it the duty and responsibility of the ombudsman to monitor specified programs under the Social Security and the various medical assistance programs under the State plans approved pursuant to such Act, and to maintain such oversight of those programs and their operation and administration as may be necessary to: (1) assure that home health patients under such programs are receiving the care to which they are entitled, (2) provide safeguards against over-charging for home health services, (3) identify abuses against home health patients, (4) receive, handle, and expedite complaints by home health patients, (5) recommend to the Secretary any changes in the regulations affecting home health services which may appear necessary or desirable, and (6) take appropriate action (including the transmission of findings to the Attorney General) with respect to abuses and violations of law affecting the provision or receipt of home health services under such programs. Makes the children over 18 of parents receiving nursing and home health care assistance under the medicaid program liable for a specified portion of the expenses of such assistance, depending upon the income of such child. Permits the waiver of such obligation in any case where the State agency determines, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary, that the imposition of such obligation or the making of such collection would impose undue hardship. Provides that any amount collected from or otherwise paid by any person in satisfaction of any obligation imposed by this section shall constitute a medical expense paid or incurred by such person for purposes of deductions under the Internal Revenue Code ot 1954.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1975
Provides that a license for the export of arms, ammunition, or implements of war may not be issued until a report on such exports is submitted to Congress. Directs that the report shall include information as to the name and address of the cosignee, user and manufacturer and the dollar amount of items contained in the application. Specifies that Congress has twenty days to object to the application. (Amends 22 U.S.C. 1934)
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1975
Increases, for purposes of computing unemployment compensation under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, the maximum recognizable amount of wages per month from $300 to one-twelfth of the current maximum annual taxable wages as defined by the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. Increases the daily benefit rate under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act. Increases the contribution base according to which employers are required to make proportional contributions to the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Administration Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1975
Makes it an unlawful employment practice under the Civil Rights Act to discriminate against individuals because of the presence of a physical disability.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1975
States that the purpose of this Act is to provide a source of financial assistance for homeowners and builders to enable them to purchase and install solar heating equipment or combined solar heating and cooling equipment while substantially reducing energy use. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make loans to individuals and families owning and occupying one-to-four family residential structures to assist them in purchasing and installing qualified solar heating and cooling equipment. States that such loans may be made in an amount covering up to 75 percent of the cost of purchasing and installing the necessary equipment, and not exceeding amounts specified in this Act. Sets forth the terms and conditions governing the loans. Defines "qualified solar heating equipment" as meaning equipment which utilizes solar energy to provide heating for a residential sturcture and which is certified by the Secretary as meeting minimum specified standards, including a requirement that the eqipment must be designed to meet more than 40 percent of the total heating needs of the types of structure for which it is intended. Directs the Energy Research and Development Administration to establish procedures for periodic inspection and review of solar heating and cooling equipment models and certifications. Directs the Secretary to disseminate full, complete, and current information concerning recommended standards and types of qualified solar heating or solar heating and cooling equipment appropriate for use in residential structures of varying sizes and types and in various regions of the country. Authorizes appropriations to a revolving fund of $100,000,000 to provide an initial amount for the program under this Act, and such additional sums as may thereafter be necessary to carry out such program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1975
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the provisions of title XII of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, creating a National Commission on individual Rights, be immediately implemented.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1975
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should convene immediately a meeting of the heads of all appropriate Federal departments and agencies for the purpose of taking such steps as may be necessary to prevent Arab discrimination against American business enterprises which have Jewish individuals serving in positions of major responsibility or which do business with Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1975
Price Disclosure Act - Provides that no person engaged in business in the sale at retail of any packaged consumer commodity which has been distributed in commerce, or the distribution of which affects commerce, shall sell, offer for sale, or display for sale any such commodity unless: (1) the total selling price of such commodity is plainly marked by a stamp, tag, or label affixed to a principal display panel of the package; and (2) the retail unit price of such commodity is plainly marked by a stamp, tag, or label affixed to a principal display panel of the package, or a label or sign in close proximity to the point of display of such package, which label or sign shall also contain the name and quantity of contents of such commodity. Exempts from these requirements any individual retail outlet which sells or offers for sale packaged consumer commodities and whose total gross sales do not exceed $250,000 per annum, unless such an outlet is one of a number of outlets owned substantially or whose inventory is supplied substantially, by a single person, partnership, or corporation whose total gross sales exceeds $500,000 per annum; or any retail outlet in any State which has enacted mandatory unit pricing law and whose law, in the judgment of the Federal-Trade Commission, is in full force and effect and is comparable in scope and comprehensiveness to the requirements of this Act, except that retailers (including chainstores and affiliated stores) who operate outlets in any such State shall be subject to the provisions of this Act if they also operate outlets in one or more other States. Redefines the term "consumer commodity" and defines the term "retail unit price" for purposes of the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act. Abolishes the authority of the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare to promulgate regulations under such Act, and transfers that authority to the Commission. Directs the Commission to request, and the Secretary of Commerce to initiate, a voluntary product standard for consumer commodities under the procedures for the development of voluntary products standards established by the Secretary pursuant to specified provisions of law whenever the Commission determines that there is undue proliferation of the weights, measures, or quantities in which any consumer commodity or reasonably comparable consumer commodities are being distributed in packages for sale at retail and such undue proliferation impairs the reasonable ability of consumers to make value comparisons with respect to such consumer commodity or commodities. Requires that regulations with respect to fair packaging and labeling standards be promulgated by the Commission in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. Directs the Commission to give interested persons an opportunity for oral presentations of views, data, and agreements. Authorizes travel and per diem reimbursement for persons being trained by the Commission to carry out the provisions of the Act. Declares that any violation of any of the provisions of the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act or the regulations issued pursuant to such Act, with respect to any consumer commodity delivered into introduction in commerce, or sold at retail, offered for sale at retail, or displayed for sale at retail, shall constitute an unfair or deceptive act or practice affecting commerce and shall be subject to penalties under specified provisions of law.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1975
Emergency Health Benefits Protection Act - Requires the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, under the Public Health Service Act, to enter into agreements with insurance carriers to provide health insurance benefits to persons unemployed, where such individuals were covered while employed by their previous employer. Requires the Secretary to enter into agreements with appropriate State agencies for purposes of determining the eligibility of individuals in the State for such benefits, and for the purpose of making payments to carriers.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1975
Establishes procedures for the conduct of hearings, and the appointment of hearings examiners with respect to claims under title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) and title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1975
Provides, under the Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act, that no decree, judgment, or order entered against any person in the Armed Forces resulting in the termination of such person's parental rights with respect to any child, shall be vacated, set aside, or reversed after a final judgment or decree has been entered in an adoption proceeding provided such person was given reasonable notice.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1975
Increases from twenty-six to thirty-nine the maximum number of weeks for which an individual may receive unemployment assistance under the special unemployment assistance program established by the Emergency Jobs and Unemployment Assistance Act of 1974.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1975
Equality Act - Prohibits discrimination under the Civil Rights Act on the basis of sex or marital status in: (1) public facilities; (2) public accomodations; (3) public education programs and schools; (4) federally assisted programs; (5) employment; and (6) housing sales, rentals, financing, and brokerage services. Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to pay up to 60 percent of the cost of commissions, boards, and advisory panels established by the States to study: (1) the denial of equal protection under the law to women; (2) private discrimination practices against women; and (3) affirmative steps necessary to insure equality of opportunity to women. Authorizes appropriations of $2,000,000 to provide for such a program. Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress within two years his recommendations for legislation to equalize the status of women with that of men under specific provisions of the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code. Requires the Commissioner of Education to survey educational institutions to determine the extent to which equality of educational opportunity is being denied to U.S. citizens and on the basis of sex, and to submit to Congress within 18 months his recommendations for remedial legislation. Authorizes appropriations of sums necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1975
Increases from thirteen to twenty-six the maximum number of weeks for which an individual may receive emergency compensation under the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act. Requires that amounts established by States for individuals in emergency compensation accounts must equal the lesser of (1) 100 percent (presently 50) of the total amount of regular compensation payable to the individuals with respect to the benefit year on the basis of which he most recently received regular compensation, or (2) 26 times (presently 13) his average weekly benefit amount for his benefit year. (Amends 26 U.S.C. 3304m.)
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1975
Repeals the provisions of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 which makes flood insurance coverage and community participation in the national flood insurance program prerequisites for approval of any financial assistance in a flood hazard area.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1975
Grants to each coastal State complying with specified procedures the mineral rights in the subsoil and seabed of the Outer Continental Shelf extending to a line which is twelve miles from the coast of such State. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a coastal baseline along the coasts of the United States to determine the extent of the grants made under this Act. Establishes a boundary advisory commission to consult with Canada and Mexico concerning the mutual boundaries extending seaward shared with these countries by the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1975
Authorizes, under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, the donation of surplus Federal property to child care centers. Defines the term "child care center" for purposes of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1975
Land Use and Resource Covservation Act - Title I: Findings, Policy, Definitions - Sets forth the findings of Congress that there is a national interest in effective land use decision making in order to promote the general welfare, to secure a wise and balanced allocation of resources, to provide for the protection and enhancement of the environment, and to conserve energy. States that it is the policy of the Federal Government, in cooperation with the States, to encourage and support the establishment of effective land use planning and management programs which will assure that the lands in the Nation are used in ways that create and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony. Defines the terms used in this Act. Defines "areas of critical State concern" as meaning areas on non-Federal lands which the State determines to be of more than local concern in view of the significant damage to life, property, the quality of the environment, or the long-term public interest which could occur from uncontrolled or incompatible development. Title II: Federal Grants for State and Indian Land Use Programs - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to make annual grants to assist the States in the development and administration of a land use program. States that initial grants may be made as soon as the State has established a State land use planning agency and an advisory council which participates in the development of the State land use program and consults, reviews, and and comments on the State land use program. Authorizes the Secretary to make additional grants to the States for developing procedures to simplify the processing of permits, licenses and other governmental decisions which are prerequisites to proposed development activities. Provides appeal procedures for States which the Secretary has determined are ineligible for grants. States that in implementing its land use program, a State may utilize (1) direct State land use planning and regulation, (2) action by local governments under criteria and standards established and supervised by the State, or (3) a combination of the two techniques. Directs the Secretary to appoint a task force group to investigate and report to him concerning the need for and the form of grant program providing for land use planning by Indian tribes for Indian reservations and other tribal lands. Encourages the States to coordinate land use planning activities on an interstate basis. Title III: State Land Use Programs - Stipulates that the State land use program shall include a statement of policies defining the State's role in land use decisions which are of more than local concern, including decisions affecting key facilities, large scale subdivision or development projects, developments of regional impact, and areas of critical State concern. Requires that State programs include (1) a process to inventory the land and water resources within the State, and (2) a process for designating which of the areas inventoried are determined to be of critical State concern, and policies and methods for the regulation of development within areas of critical state concern. States that programs must include policies and procedures designed to (1) identify prime food and fiber producing lands, (2) consider the location of large scale subdivision or development projects, (3) guide the use of land in areas which may be impacted by key facilities and major improvement, (4) consider the environmental, social, and economic impact of developments of regional impact, and (5) encourage development and land use patterns designed to conserve energy. Title IV: Federal Actions and Federal Lands - States that Federal Activities significantly affecting land use on non-Federal land must be consistent with land use programs which conform to the provisions of this Act, except in cases of overriding national interest as determined by the President. Requires applicants for Federal licenses or permits to certify that any proposed activities affecting land use are in compliance with the States' land program. Provides that each public land management agency head shall develop, maintain, and revise where appropriate land use plans for public lands under his jurisdiction. Requires that provision be made for substantial and meaningful public involvement and participation of appropriate State and local government representatives in the development, revision, and implementation of land use plans, guidelines, rules, and regulations for public lands. Title V: Administration - Establishes in the Department of the Interior an Office of Land Use Administration. States that the Secretary shall, through the Office, administer the land use grant program and undertake specified programs and responsibilites to achieve the objectives of this Act. Requires the Secretary to coordinate his activities pursuant to this Act with all other interested Federal agencies. Directs the Executive Office of the President to issue guidelines to the Federal departments and agencies to assist them in carrying out the requirements of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to study and report to the Congress within 3 years the need for, and form of, national land use policies. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the provisions of this Act. Limits the amount of grants to States to 75 percent of the costs of developing and administering the land use program within the State.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1975
Provides that any correspondence to any Member of Congress which is: (1) sent to any official business address of the Member; and (2) mailed by a resident of the State or congressional district which is represented by the Member, may be mailed free of postage. Directs the Postal Service to maintain a supply of mailing forms for use in correspondence to Members of Congress, to be available at a nominal cost. (Amends 39 U.S.C. 3220)
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1975
Provides that any individual fully insured under title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act may qualify for disability insurance benefits and the disability freeze if he has 40 quarters of coverage, regardless of when such quarters were earned.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1975
Home Health Services Act - Provides, under the Public Health Service Act, for the establishment and initial operation of public and nonprofit private agencies which will provide home health services in areas in which such services are not otherwise available. Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to make grants: (1) to meet the initial and expanding costs of such agencies; and (2) for programs for the training of professional and paraprofessional personnel to provide home health services. Authorizes the appropriation of such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1975
Ozone Protection Act - Declares that the release of chlorofluromethane may pose a danger to public health and safety. Provides for a study by the National Academy of Sciences of the nature and likelihood of potential effects on public health and the environment of the discharge of such gas. Directs the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to report to the Congress on such potential effects. Provides for a program of standards to limit the emissions of such gas from major sources. Provides for the enforcement of prohibitions upon the manufacture and sale of aerosol spray containers which discharge such gas, including penalties of up to $10,000 in civil fines per day of violation under this Act. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1975
Permits any member of a private nonprofit organization to deposit mailable matter relating to the activities or functions of the organization in letterboxes, if such member engages in such actions on a voluntary basis without reimbursement from such organization. Excludes political committees from the provisions of this Act. (Amends 18 U.S.C. 1725; adds 39 U.S.C. 607)
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1975
Excludes from gross income, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, the first $5,000 received as annuities, pensions, or other retirement benefits by an individual who has attained age 65 before the close of the taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1975
Revises the conditions under which post-hospital home health services may be provided udner part A and home health services may be provided under part B of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1975
Directs the Civil Service Commission to establish a Special Cost-of-Living Pay Schedule containing increased pay rates for Federal employees in heavily populated cities and metropolitan areas in order to offset the increased cost of living. Authorizes the Commission to revise such schedule from time to time, with Presidential approval.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1975
Increases the excise tax under the Internal Revenue Code on small and large cigarettes, providing that such increased taxes collected after June 30, 1976, shall be appropriated to the National Cancer Research Fund established by this Act in the Treasury in specified amounts for fiscal years 1977 and 1978.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1975
Prohibits, except as provided in this Act, the inspection of tax returns and the disclosure of information contained in such returns. Authorizes the inspection of returns by or disclosure to (1) the taxpayer or his representative; (2) employees of the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Justice solely for purposes of enforcement of the tax laws; (3) State agencies charged with administration of the tax laws only for that purpose; (4) the President of the United States in the performance of his official duties; and (5) the Joint Committee on Internal Revenue Taxation for statistical purposes only. Increases the criminal penalties for unauthorized disclosure or receipt of information under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1975
Increases to $3,600 the amount of outside earnings which is permitted an individual each year without any deductions from benefits under title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1975
Emergency Unemployment Health Benefits Act - Includes a new title under the Emergency Jobs and Unemployment Health Benefits Act establishing an emergency health benefits program for the unemployed. Declares all unemployed individuals who (1) are entitled to receive State or Federal unemployment benefits and (2) would if their employment had not been discontinued, be covered under an employer-sponsored health insurance plan to be eligible for health insurance benefits of the type provided by their previous employer. Extends such benefits to the dependent spouse and the dependent children of such eligible individuals. Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to enter into arrangements with carriers and State agencies to carry out this Act. Stipulates that no health insurance benefits may be provided under this Act after June 30, 1976. Authorizes to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1975
Authorizes the President to designate April 24, 1975, as "National Day of Remembrance of Man's Inhumanity to Man" for remembrance of all the victims of genocide, especially those of Armenian ancestry who succumbed to the genocide perpetrated in Turkey in 1915.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1975
Securities Reform Act -Title I: Regulation of Exchanges and Associations - Includes within the term "member," for purposes of the Act, any person who agrees to be regulated by an exchange and with respect to whom the exchange undertakes to enforce the Federal securities laws and the exchange rules. Makes registered national securities exchanges and associations subject to identical regulatory provisions. States that any registered broker or dealer meeting applicable capital or competency requirements must be allowed to join any registered national securities exchange. Requires the governing body of every such exchange to contain public representatives, and requires the exchange to provide adequate resources to permit the public representatives to employ staff or retain professional personnel independent of the exchange staff. Prohibits registered national securities exchanges from imposing any schedule of prices or fixing rates of commissions, allowances, discounts, or other charges subject to a statutory timetable for the elimination of the current fixed minimum commission rate system. Gives persons denied membership on an exchange the right to seek review of such denial by the SEC and the courts. Permits members disciplined by an exchange to appeal such action to the SEC and to the courts. Provides that any proposed change in exchange rules must be filed with the SEC, which must publish such proposed change and allow interested persons a reasonable opportunity for comment thereon. States that the proposed change shall take effect forty-five days after publication by the SEC unless the SEC disapproves it. Allows registered national securities exchanges, with the concurrence of the SEC, to share the cost, functions and responsibility of the conduct of examinations and inspections of members, and to furnish copies of any reports of inspections or examinations to each other. Establishes new procedures to be followed by the Commission in compelling exchanges and registered associations to change their rules, and in regulating off-floor trading by exchange members. Gives the SEC the authority to suspend or expel exchange members who have violated exchange rules. Prohibits national securities exchanges and national securities associations from preventing their members from executing transactions for customers in other markets whenever those markets offer a better price to such customers. Requires the SEC to adopt rules to assure that customers are getting the best price from their brokers. Prohibits national securities exchanges and national securities associations from preventing its members from participating in any registered clearing agency or securities depository. Gives the SEC authority to investigate and bring injunctive actions for violations of National Association of Securities Distributors rules and exchange rules, and to bring injunctive actions to compel a registered national securities exchange or association to enforce compliance with the rules of such exchange or association. Title II: Financial Responsibility; Regulation of Brokers Dealers; Reports and Examinations - Broadens existing prohibitions on improper hypothecation of securities by brokers, dealers and members to embrace improper lending of such securities. Requires all members of a registered national securities exchange to register with the SEC. Requires persons registering as broker-dealers to file certified financial statements with their application (rather than verified statements). Requires that, within six months of the granting of an application for registration, the Commission, or an exchange, or the NASD as designated by the Commission, shall examine the new broker-dealer to determine whether it is operating in conformity with the Federal securities laws. Adds armed robbery and grand larceny to the list of statutory offenses which bar a person from becoming a broker-dealer. Requires the Commission, in cooperation with the exchanges and the NASD, to devise and administer a uniform examination which, with respect to partners, officers, and supervisory employees shall include questions relating to enumerated matters. Directs the SEC, by no later than July 1, 1975, to establish minimum capital requirements, providing for ample, liquid and permanent capital for brokers, dealers and members. Authorizes the Commission to classify brokers, dealers and members for purposes of establishing such requirements. Requires registered national securities exchanges to furnish copies of documents to the SEC upon request. Requires registered brokers, dealers and members to supply their customers with certified comparative balance sheets and income statements. Authorizes the Commission to adopt rules regulating the reporting of transactions and to prescribe uniformity in accounting procedures and systems of brokers and dealers and members. Title III: Development of a National Clearance and Settlement System - Authorizes the Commission to make rules applicable to brokers or dealers regulating the time and method of making settlements, payments and deliveries and closing of accounts. Provides that, in the exercise of this rulemaking authority, the Commission shall not affect the authority of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to regulate securities credit. Requires clearing agencies, securities depositories and transfer agents to register with the SEC, and establishes appropriate procedures. Sets forth procedures under which the Commission must grant or deny application for registration of clearing agencies and securities depositories. Authorizes the Commission to establish terms and conditions under which a clearing agency, securities depository or transfer agent may withdraw from registration. Gives the SEC direct rulemaking power over clearing agencies, securities depositories and transfer agents. Empowers the SEC to review clearing agency or securities depository action in the areas of disciplinary action or denial of admission to a participant. Grants the Commission disciplinary powers with respect to clearing agencies, securities depositories and transfer agents. Directs the SEC, on or before December 31, 1976, to take appropriate steps to eliminate the use of the stock certificate as a means of settlement of securities transactions between brokers and dealers. Authorizes the Commission to grant confidential treatment to material filed with it only under very limited conditions, including a finding that disclosure is not in the public interest. Empowers the Commission to prescribe rules with respect to the form or format of securities issued by companies, any class of whose securities is registered under the Act, or which would be required to be so registered except for the exemption from registration provided for securities of registered investment companies or insurance companies under certain conditions. Directs every issuer whose securities are registered on a national securities exchange to consolidate in a single person the functions of transfer agent and registrar. Directs the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct a study to consider the public policy implications of the growing practice of registering securities in "street name" and to determine whether steps can be taken to facilitate communications between corporations and their shareholders while, at the same time, retaining benefits of such registration. Prohibits the imposition of state or local taxes on securities, or on the transfer of securities, solely because the facilities of a registered clearing agency or securities depository are physically located in the taxing jurisdiction. Requires registered national securities exchanges, associations, brokers, dealers, clearing agencies and securities depositories to: (1) report information about missing, lost or stolen securities to the SEC or such person as the SEC designates; and (2) require the fingerprinting of partners, directors, officers, and employees and the submittal of such fingerprints to the Attorney General of the United States for identification and appropriate processing. Title IV: Miscellaneous - Requires the SEC to include in its annual report to Congress certain designated information concerning the Commission's administration of the Freedom of Information Act. Raises the amount of the registration fee every national securities exchange must pay to the SEC from 1/500th of one percent to 1/100th of one percent of the dollar amount of sales of securities (other than certain governmental obligations) transacted on that exchange. Title V: Development of a National Securities Market System - Directs the Commission to establish a national market system for transactions in securities. Directs the Commission to make a study of the need for the establishment of a national regulatory body to administer the national market system, and to report its results to the Congress by December 31, 1976. Authorizes to be appropriated $300,000 for each study.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1975
Directs the Secretary of Defense to continue the operation and maintenance of each of the commissary stores of the agencies of the Department of Defense in operation on January 1, 1975. States that the Secretary shall request appropriations for their direct costs.
![Official portrait of Rep. Eilberg, Joshua [D-PA-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/e000096_200.jpg)